Marc Albrighton praises Robert Pires

Monday 28 February 2011 13:15 BST

Golden oldie: Villa midfielder Robert Pires

Marc Albrighton today hailed the influence of former Arsenal star Robert Pires on Aston Villa's youngsters.

Eyebrows were raised when Gerard Houllier added 37-year-old Pires to his squad. But the Frenchman is starting to justify Houllier's faith and was given a standing ovation when he came off in Saturday's 4-1 win over Blackburn.

Albrighton, 21, said: "He [Pires] is a big influence on the younger players. He passes on a lot of tips and if he is tells you something, it is definitely worth taking on board.

"He shows touches in training that make you think 'that is why he was so good'. Against Blackburn, he did it again on the Premier League stage."